Restless legs may signify bigger health problems

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) may be related to other conditions, according to a sleep expert.

Boston Medical Center neurologist Sandord H Auerback believes the syndrome could serve as an underlying cause for other diseases.

Writing in an editorial in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the doctor explained RLS could be a useful biomarker and may play a key role in diagnosing other conditions.

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His comments come following the latest results of the Health Professional Follow-Up Study, which looked at 12,556 men and showed a number of associations between diseases and RLS.

'Patients with RLS had a higher mortality rate than similar men and showed an especially strong tendency toward cardiovascular disease and hypertension,' said Dr Auerbach, associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

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Previous research has also showed that men diagnosed with RLS are more likely to develop lung disease, endocrine disease and diseases of nutrition, as well as metabolism and immune system problems.

Last year, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and the Channing division of network medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, concluded that mortality rates for men with the syndrome could be higher than those without RLS.

Study author Xiang Gao explained RLS affects between five to ten per cent of adults in the US but often remains underdiagnosed. However, it could serve as an important tool in identifying those at risk of life-threatening illnesses.

RLS is a relatively common condition which affects the nervous system. Sufferers get an overwhelming urge to move the legs and it can create a strange sensation in feet, calves and thighs - this can often be worse at night.

Symptoms can vary from mild to severe, with some people discovering their daily activities become limited by the condition.

Those with mild RLS often find changes to their lifestyle, such as lowering caffeine intake, can control the symptoms but for those suffering with more severe cases, medication many be used to regulate the levels of dopamine and iron in the body.

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